Old-Fashioned Life

Last week when the entire apartment complex had a power outage, I decided I had to break down and get a cell phone.

The woman next door is on oxygen full-time, and when I knocked on the door that evening to ask if their power was out, her husband was in the back room. So she had to answer the door.

I didn't realize all the aggravation she had to go to until I was leaving and she got up to see me out. She has to carry that rubber tubing of oxygen around while watching that she doesn't trip over it.

Their little dog, meanwhile, is barking and weaving in and out of her legs about to trip her if she's not careful. 

So I called the place I used a few years ago, Consumer Cellular, and ordered a simple flip phone and a $10 plan.

It's an old folks' type phone and an old folks' type cell phone company. But that's what I wanted. 

I didn't want bells and whistles. I didn't want complicated. Because I will only use it if I have to. Like maybe call the number on my insurance card for car assistance if I happen to have car trouble.

Otherwise the power will be turned off.
 

Just a plain old phone that has an emergency number in case "I've-fallen-and-I-can't-get-up." And nice big numbers as you can see.

When I go out, I want to remain unplugged. I'm what you'd call "old school". 

I think it's the epitome of rudeness when someone is on their phone while a store clerk is checking them out. Where are their manners?

Sometimes I apologize for them once they've taken themselves and their purchase and their phone conversation on out the door. 

The response is always: "Yeah, happens all the time."

Well in my book it shouldn't happen. That person standing on their feet, maybe making minimum wage, deserves a little respect. And maybe a "hi, how are you today?"
 
One of you made a comment about "instant everything" recently. I forget who it was. And that phrase stuck with me.

Maybe there's just too much instant everything. Maybe we need to think more instead of having technology thinking for us.

I don't want instant communication when I go out. 

If it makes me an old fuddy-duddy to carry a flip phone, so be it. 

If I stand out like a sore thumb because I'm one of the few people not staring at a phone, then I'm proud to be that person.

Instant is not always better. 

Sometimes there's something to be said for being "old-fashioned."

Technology can be our best friend, and technology can also be the biggest party pooper of our lives. It interrupts our own story, interrupts our ability to have a thought or a daydream, to imagine something wonderful, because we're too busy bridging the walk from the cafeteria back to the office on the cell phone. Steven Spielberg
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_technology.html

Technology can be our best friend, and technology can also be the biggest party pooper of our lives. It interrupts our own story, interrupts our ability to have a thought or a daydream, to imagine something wonderful, because we're too busy bridging the walk from the cafeteria back to the office on the cell phone. Steven Spielberg
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_technology.htm